I met Franz a few weeks ago when he brought his brother-in-law and I together for a face to face transaction. His BIL bought a nice Merkel 140AE .470NE double-rifle that I was selling. The 3 of us had a great visit (parked on a secluded gravel road, staring and reaching into my open car trunk, hoping that no one would report us as drug dealers) and shared stories and laughs of our safari aspirations, experiences, and fine firearms in general. An hour later, they drove away with a very nice rifle for his BIL and I drove away with a large sum of $. Everyone was happy. I remember Franz saying that he would also like to own a similar rifle, but he felt the need to make a financially responsible decision due to being retired. I respected him for his discipline and restraint. Franz seems to be likeable, intelligent, trustworthy, and an overall great guy that has an excitement for African adventure, just like most of us. For anyone that is considering doing business with him, please consider this statement to be a full enforcement. I have dealt with several members on this forum during transactions over the last 2 years, so hopefully I have at least of modest amount of credibility. I'm guessing that he didn't expect his seemingly-benign post to roll in the direction that it has, but I applaud him for the grace that he has demonstrated in handling it. Franz, I hope that you get your double, and I hope that you bring home many trophies from Africa next year. Cheers, my friend. - Jake